Invitation

Invitation

Invitation. Covenant. What comes to mind as you hear these two words and how do they intersect?
Listen as Paul Kiss continues our Ancient Words series by looking at Isaiah 55. Through it we
discover God’s invitation to a renewed covenant is better than God’s imposed injunction to a
contract. Covenant expresses God’s relationship with humanity. It began with Israel and was
renewed in Jesus.

Invitation

Speaker: Paul KissDate: December 23, 2018

God’s invitation to a renewed covenant is better than God’s imposed injunction to a contract. Text: Isaiah 55

Contract or Covenant

Covenant expresses God’s relationship with humanity.
It began with Israel and was renewed in Jesus.
A covenant is confirmed in relationship.
A contract is confirmed in legal transaction.

Imposition or Invitation

Text: Isaiah 55:1-2
● We think of God as imposing his will upon us.
● But God prefers to invite us into covenant relationship.

Injunction or Restoration

Text: Isaiah 55:6-13; 56:1-8
● We view God as demanding our allegiance.
● But God’s desire is restoration through a new covenant.

1. What is your understanding of the idea of “Covenant?” What questions do you have about it?2. How does covenant change the way we view our relationship with God, compared to a contractual relationship with God?3. Why do you think we are prone to view our relationship with God more in contractual terms than covenantal terms?4. Read Exodus 5:22-6:8. What are some of the outcomes of being in covenant relationship with God/Yahweh? (ie – promise of land, etc).5. Reading Isaiah 55, how does God’s covenant with Israel help us understand why he is inviting them to turn back to him?6. What are some practical or daily things we can do to shift our understanding of relationship with God from contract to covenant?

1. Read Genesis 15; Isaiah 54-56; Jeremiah 31:31-40; Hebrews 8-10 – to learn a bit more about the idea of Covenant and Invitation.2. Read, “God’s Design: A Focus on Old Testament Theology,” by Elmer A. Martens. (If you do, I will buy you a coffee and we can discuss it).